As one of the many Milwaukee County schools in partnership with the Milwaukee County Transit System, MATC offers students unlimited free rides on MCTS lines with the semester-long U-PASS. Although seven schools in the Milwaukee area are currently enrolled in the U-PASS program, during the summer 2014 semester MATC alone has volunteered to pilot the new MCard, which offers students an increasingly convenient method of transportation to help them stay on the track to success.
The MCard is a new electronic fare card that contains a computerized electronic chip. This chip recognizes account fare information (which for student users is, of course, free), and even timed transfer information that expires after 90 minutes. As veterans of the U-PASS program know, in previous semesters the U-PASS was in the form of a sticker affixed to a Stormer Pass. Students need only flash their Stormer Pass when boarding any MCTS bus line. Easy and simple enough; however, when a student lost either their Stormer Pass or U-PASS, it meant the loss of both. Potentially anyone could pick it up, obscure the photo when boarding, and obtain free fare.
According to Kelley Cronkite, coordinator of Student Life, the new MCard takes measures to prevent this kind of fraudulent use. “If someone loses their card they can contact us so we can deactivate it within 48 hours,” Cronkite says. This means the student can be issued a new MCard, after paying a replacement fee and the old one will no longer be valid for use. “We won’t have people riding on your money,” she says. Cronkite goes on to explain that the new electronic U-PASS program is more accurate, allowing MATC and the MCTS to better track the use of the card in order to “better serve our students on all four campuses.”
In addition to new security measures, Cronkite says the MCard will be available only to students who maintain their eligibility status – that’s a minimum of three college-level credits during the summer semester and six college-level credits during fall and spring semesters. According to Cronkite, “students who drop out or drop below eligibility status will no longer be able to use their MCard.” Enrolled students who intend to use the card should hold onto it, because while the replacement fee during the summer pilot period of the program is only $22.50, it will be raised to $45 beginning in the fall. Students are also advised to check their email and portal regularly for updates and information on MCard use.
The MCard will work the same for non-student users. MCTS expresses on its website that it eventually hopes to phase out paper tickets and passes, although cash will always be accepted. More information on the MCard can be found on their website www.ridemcts.com under the header “Fares and Passes” and “New Fare System.” MATC students can contact the Office of Student Life for more information or assistance with their MCard.